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Shane Warne is returning to relegated Hampshire on a two-year contract. He played for them with success in 2000 and now returns to take up the captaincy in succession to Robin Smith who is standing down from the position he has held for five years.Smith has a testimonial year coming up, and wants to concentrate on his batting as the county strive to regain their Division One status. Ironically enough, it was during another relegation year that Warne played for Hampshire, when he took 70 wickets at 23.14 each. He also averaged 21.55 with the bat and recorded three fifties. He also took 38 wickets in one-day cricket that season.Hampshire chairman, Rod Bransgrove, when asked how difficult it was to get the Australian leg-spinner to return to the county, replied: “It was more difficult trying to keep him away! Shane is a hugely dedicated and loyal man to all the clubs he has ever played for, from St. Kilda, his first ever club, through to us here at Hampshire and it is tremendous news for the county and demonstrates the depth of our ambition.”Warne, currently in Sri Lanka playing for Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy, said: “I am very happy to be returning to Hampshire, which is my second home. I enjoyed it so much last time and I will do everything to help re-establish Hampshire to the forefront of English cricket.”Bransgrove added: “We have been discussing the captain situation for a few weeks now and looking at all the options. But we really felt Shane Warne’s qualities put him to be the obvious candidate and we are delighted to have him. We will work around his international commitments, but he does not have that many during the next two summers.”Those international commitments will result in him missing the first three weeks of next season as he will be with Australia on their tour of the West Indies. The appointment of the vice-captain has yet to be finalised, but Will Kendall is the incumbent and has stood in several times for Smith during this season.

Star West Indian batsman Brian Lara, has been cleared of allcharges of involvement in match-fixing following an investigationinto allegations against him. This was announced by the Rev.Wes Hall, president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB),during a press conference on Monday.The investigation carried out by prominent Barbadian attorneyat-law Elliott Mottley found no evidence in support of theallegations made against Lara contained in the Report of theBureau of Criminal Investigations of India on Cricket Match Fixingand Related Malpractices, dated November 2, 2000.”Mr. Mottley’s investigation on behalf of the West Indies CricketBoard has indicated that the allegations made against Brian wereunfounded and not supported by any evidence,” Rev. Wes Hall,announced during a news conference at the Trinidad HiltonHotel.Hall added: “We now consider that this matter is hereby officiallyclosed and wish to thank Mr. Mottley for his investigation and hisreport. We wrote Brian’s lawyers informing them that the matteris officially closed and that the allegations made against himwere unfounded.”Rev. Hall also said the WICB has submitted the report to theICC.During the investigation, commissioned in April last year, Mottleyconducted personal interviews with several people includingLara, submitted questions to several people in writing, visitedthe International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit fordiscussions with Lord Condon and his staff, as well as compiledreports on the meetings held and findings of the investigation.

Bashley (Rydal) will play Premier League rivals South Wilts in the Southern Electric Contracting Cup final at the Hampshire Rose Bowl on Friday week, August 2 (5.45pm).South Wilts scrambled a five-wicket, penultimate ball victory over Rowledge at Lower Bemerton last night, mon.The Salisbury club appeared to be cruising towards a comfortable win, needing seven runs off the final two overs to overhaul a Rowledge total of 104-7.But, after the impressive Jamie Glasson (26) had been run out, South Wilts suffered an attack of the nerves and in a tense finish clinched their cup final slot with just one ball to go.David Lloyd (23) and Chris Yates (22) had earlier begun well for Rowledge, but a five-wicket spell of left-arm bowling by Paul Draper (5-21) derailed their progress.Dave Booton (24) and Nick Morant (20) helped Rowledge, the National Village Championship quarter-finalists, to 104-7 off 20 overs.Jon Nash (19), Rob Wade (18) and Russell Rowe (16) all did their bit for South Wilts, who so nearly came unstuck after Glasson was needlessly run out.

BRISBANE – Australian Cricket Board chief executive James Sutherland wastonight unable to guarantee a full-strength side would contest nextmonth’s Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.Sutherland and Australian Cricketers Association chief executive Tim Maymet members of the national one-day squad tonight to thrash out concernsover International Cricket Council player contracts, which have createda storm of protest around the cricketing world.The ICC wants players to sign contracts preventing them from promotingtheir individual sponsors for 30 days either side of next February’sWorld Cup in South Africa.The ICC’s new $1 billion deal with Global Cricket Corporation isconditional on countries sending their full-strength sides but alreadyIndian authorities are facing a player revolt and England’s topcricketers have been advised against signing the ICC contracts.Sutherland emerged from tonight’s meeting confident discussions wereheading in the right direction.But he could not rule out Australia sending a weakened team to Sri Lankaif some players balked at signing the controversial ICC contracts.”Ultimately that could be a possibility,” admitted Sutherland, who saidthe players who leave for a triangular series in Kenya on Monday had notbeen given any deadline to sign.”Right now our concern is dealing with the squad of players selected andto work through the issue with them.”What we need to do under the ICC agreement is deliver the best possibleteam and what we are trying to do now is work with the ACA and ourplayers to reach a situation that they are comfortable about theirrights and their rights in regard to the event and surrounding events.”May said it was impossible to speculate on what to players may decide.”We haven’t put any deadlines on them,” he said.”They got a lot of new information tonight about what the ACB and ACAhave been negotiating over the last week or so and we want the playersto have the appropriate time to consider and digest that information.”It’s too early to speculate on the outcome. They received a lot ofinformation to consider and there is a lot at stake for the players whoneed time to do that.”Sutherland admitted the players could fly out for Kenya on Mondaywithout signing the ICC contracts.”They could, but it’s not an ideal situation,” he said.”We continue to be hopeful we will resolve it before the players leave.”The ACB is yet to sign a contract to contest the Champions Trophy andSutherland said they wouldn’t until the players had made their decision.Earlier, one day captain Ricky Ponting was unable to rule out Australianplayers boycotting future international tournaments because ofcontroversial sponsorship contracts being forced upon them.And he admitted to being stumped as to how players or the ACB could getaround the ICC sponsorship contracts which have been rejected by leadingplayers around the world.”We can sit down and talk about it, but there’s really not much we cando about it,” Ponting conceded.Asked if that meant the ICC had to change it’s contract, Ponting said:”I don’t think that’s going to happen either.”I don’t think there’s any right answer to this whole thing … if therehad been, I’m sure it would have been resolved by now.”While Ponting was prepared to go into bat for his players over theirright to have individual sponsors, he was not keen on the idea of playerboycotts.”I don’t think any of the [Australian] players want a boycott, that’snot what we are all about,” he said.

Sensible batting from Keith Parsons and Mike Burns saw Somerset Sabres to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Leicestershire Foxes in their Norwich Union League Division One clash at the Bath Recreation Ground.The Sabres appeared to be wobbling in pursuit of their target of just 148 when they lost their third wicket on 33, with Holloway unlucky to play-on to Matthew Whiley. But an unbroken stand of 115 between Parsons and Burns saw Somerset home with more than 12 overs to spare, and to a first win of the season in this competition.It was a good all-round performance from Parsons. He may not be the most glamorous cricketer on the circuit, but he wobbled the ball around in helpful conditions and batted with great common sense and more than a little skill to deny the Foxes. He hit two big sixes – one hook off DeFreitas clearing the hospitality tents on its way out of this beautiful ground – and another over long-on off Crowe.Stand-in captain, Mike Burns, who struck seven fours in his 54, provided solid support.Leicestershire must be heartily sick of the sight of Parsons. It was his all-round display that was pivotal in Somerset clinching the C&G trophy against the same opposition at the end of last season, and here he settled the hosts’ nerves with bat and ball when they had appeared to be under pressure.Earlier the Sabres had limited the Foxes to a modest looking 147 all out. Only Trevor Ward had flourished on a pitch on which run scoring was never easy, hitting 11 boundaries in his 64-ball stay. But his team-mates could only muster another five between them as the Somerset bowlers made intelligent use of overcast conditions.Missing captain, Jamie Cox, with a thumb injury, the Sabres were boosted by the return of Richard Johnson and Steffan Jones, giving their attack more of an edge than it had previously possessed.Johnson struck twice in his opening spell, trapping Iain Sutcliffe and Darren Stevens leg before, after Foxes’ skipper, Vince Wells, had won the toss and elected to bat.But Flower helped Ward add 45 for the fourth wicket, with Ward taking full advantage of Simon Francis’ inability to find the correct length, driving him through the covers on several occasions, and pulling fiercely when the bowler over compensated.At 83-2 the visitors were well placed, but Keith Parsons struck to part the pair before Jones ended Ward’s fun, finding a thin edge that was gratefully received by Robbie Turner, standing up to the wicket. None of the other batsmen ever threatened to prosper.The Sabres fielded well. Dutch took a wonderful diving catch to dismiss the dangerous DeFreitas, while Ian Blackwell clung on to a difficult one on the long-off fence that would otherwise have gone for six.It was a good win for a Sabres side short of its three best players – Trescothick, Caddick and Cox. They climb level on points with the Foxes and have given themselves a platform on which to build. On this form they may prove a challenge for most teams.

At Lord’s, Waqar must have realized that England must have been in a generous mood otherwise the margin of defeat could have stung far more. Losing a Test by an innings and nine runs, inside three days is certainly humiliating.The team has problems. Perhaps the worst that has happened to it is a superfluous presence of living legends. How long they can they remain living as opposed to legends, is a matter of speculation. On the other hand, at Karachi, Wasim Bari, the chairman of selectors will have to get himself a louder alarm clock than the one that failed to wake him while he was selecting the team.

In England, the fragile and often trembling Pakistan batsmen must have thanked their lucky stars for not having to face Mathew Hoggard from one of the ends otherwise, it could have been worse. Saeed and Saleem may well have thought instead of injuring skipper Nasser Hussain, Shoaib would have done them a service had he disposed off Andrew Caddick instead.The Pakistan cricketers, replete with a foreign physio, a foreign coach, a foreign bowling coach, a Cambridge trained Manager, training programmes and tonics, arrived in England and right away looked noticeably out of place. If they’d been well prepared for the series as the manager commented, then God knows what yardstick he uses to gauge performance.After having lost at Lord’s, Pakistan have a lot of catching up to do. Self-serving though this may sound, coming from me, its interesting to note that Yawar, himself a former Somerset all-rounder, stated that the team didn’t require a cricket analyst and that he’ll perform the duty himself. So one can ask the fair question, why didn’t he firmly instruct the coach to tell his batsmen to not go chasing balls outside off, especially after the follow-on?One can only surmise, by now he must be quite happy for having done the dual job effectively? One must give him credit for supporting his team’s cause by ensuring they took the fifth day off and completed the last minute rites minutes before the last session of the fourth day came to an end.Anyway, this happens in cricket. Winning or losing is part of the game but the fact remains, Pakistan’s performance was shocking. Perhaps we were expecting rather more than we should have. Pakistanis want their team to win every match and possible thrilled by the previous achievements in England in 1987, 1992 & 1996 we illogically thought that 2001 series will also fetch the same results. And in Waqar, it seemed Pakistan had a captain who would ensure that there would never be a losing moment in a match.Don’t we all fail to realize that most of our top cricketers have played out their bit and now merely depend on the great deeds done in the past? Are they just hanging around, just to be there, going through the motions and trying to last a bit longer?

Wasim Akram’s skills are universally acclaimed and no question about the past but his current value is now being questioned. This may be Wasim’s own doing; in the field he does give an impression of being no more than casually interested in the proceedings. Yet, though less frequently, he pops up with some useful bowling. He is brim full of natural ability but has certainly lost what made him the greatest of all.The time has come to accept that Wasim and Waqar will not bowl Pakistan to victory should they be given this assignment in future teams. We must admit that Waqar’s bowling too has lost its sustained pace and aggression and now presents few difficulties to the leading batsmen. Nor is Wasim quite the accurate bowler he once was. Two great bowlers these but their glorious days are done and this, sadly, will have to be accepted.Neither Inzamam nor Yousuf are having a good series. Inzamam always carries the burden of team’s high expectations but when he fails to get a hundred he tends to be written off as failure. No doubt these two possess undying talent though they have contributed far less than expectations so far. Similarly Saeed has been plagued by his knee injury and is finding age wrapping up his reflexes. He always had the tendency of flirting with balls pitched outside the line of off-stump but we need to accept the truth; his foot movement is now much slower than it used to be. Under English conditions he’ll always find himself vulnerable but still there are hundreds of runs that can still surge from his blade, one he wields more attractively than any, provided he applies himself and plays with utmost conviction.Honest analysis would reveal, Pakistan’s performance at Lord’s was far below comprehensible standards:

1. Our team forfeited the advantage of having won the toss by bowling lazily, short of length and without any visible game plan.
2. As it transpired, some awful fielding added more to the misery.
3. The choice of the playing XI was absolutely mind-boggling. Waqar should have played with one spinner instead of going in with five pacers.
4. Field placing was often wanting.
5. Waqar seemingly lost control of the situation and a total of 391 is always threatening.
6. One must admit that the batsmen played recklessly, without purpose and at times quite illogically. Isn’t it unfortunate that even the top players were seen hurling their bats at balls bowled teasingly outside the off stump and that too in England? A technique learnt on the sub-continent pitches where the ball comes through slowly and swings less.

In a logical review and keeping likes and dislikes away, one can conclude with something that every Pakistan cricket fan needs to know and understand deep down:

• Unfortunately, the big names of Pakistan Cricket have played out their parts, and what a glorious innings they were, magical cricket thorough and professional, all for the game’s cause.
• In all honesty, we don’t yet have the ideal replacements but yet cricket needs to move ahead and make way for the superstars of tomorrow.
• Accept losing some matches or series because this is not a problem if we are sure that we have something in store for the future. Accept Pakistan losing for a while, stop blaming failure on individuals, umpires, administrators or in conspiracies. Before we know it our cricket will get to the heights where it really belongs.
• We must stop thinking we cannot live without the legends. They will be there forever in our hearts, in the record books and to look up to. We must prepare to bid them adieu.
• Let’s keep in view, Pakistan cricket’s future and hope suitable replacements are earmarked quickly. Let’s not call a new bat with couple of ducks a failure or discard a wicketless newbie.

Even though, at the moment, there is a dearth of flair and genius in the country and it will be really hard for Pakistan cricket administrators, managers, coaches and selectors to come out with players who can adjust to the rigors of international cricket instantly but still, we desperately need to invest in our youth. That’s where the future lies.

Bowlers wanting to bowl into the teeth of Wellington’s wind?Now that’s a new one. As observers caught watching firstly England, then New Zealand, practise on the wind swept Basin Reserve today, two days out from the second National Bank Series match, will tell you, there are winds, and there are Wellington winds.But England captain Nasser Hussain believes there may be no shortage of volunteers for the into-the-wind duties.”We will need an into-the-wind bowler possibly, although that might be the end to bowl with the prevailing wind. If it comes from there it might swing away.”It’s funny with the wind, at the beginning of the last Test match everyone wanted to bowl at one particular end and then people swing it into the wind a little bit more and everyone wants to bowl at that end,” he said.”A Test match varies, from day to day and which end people want to bowl.”Just what the make-up of England’s side would be on this occasion would depend on how the wicket looked closer to the match start time.”The wicket has got a lot of time before it will be ready.”It looks a bit more traditional soil where it might do a little bit to start with and it might turn a little bit at the end, that’s normal cricket,” he said.England would be looking to lift its game from its success in the first Test.They now had to do what they did in Christchurch, which was getting the greater amount of runs on the board in the first innings, pitching the ball up and swinging it, and then, when it gets a little flatter hitting the deck in the manner of Andy Caddick while also having the middle-order score more runs later on.”They’re the same basics from every Test match really.”It’s just a case now of adapting to conditions and that is what my team talk will be based around, and never taking the game for granted.”It looks like a typical New Zealand wicket. There will be times when it is flat and there will be times when it is doing a bit and you have to adapt your game accordingly.I think that was the same in the last Test and will be the same in the next Test,” he said.

Canterbury’s brittle-looking batting did as well as might have been expected in making 198/6 on the second day of their Shell Trophy match with high-flying Otago at Christchurch’s Village Green.Marcel McKenzie will be Canterbury’s main batting hope tomorrow. He is nearing his first-class best of 43, having crawled to an important 39 not out off 168 balls in the evening sun.Otago coach Dennis Aberhart, who has a special insight into Canterbury cricket as their last coach but one, told CricInfo, “today we bowled pretty good channels on what’s a pretty good wicket. It was good disciplined bowling. We kept the pressure on throughout the day.””It was a disappointing end to the Cup series,” he added, (Otago were last of six), and all we’ve got to play for now is the Trophy. We want to continue developing as a team over this game and the next four to be in contention to win this competition.”Aberhart, who is in his first year coaching down south continued, “the competition’s pretty close. Nobody’s out of it – I think it’s wide open, just as the Cup was when people came from the bottom.”Conversely, current Canterbury coach Garry MacDonald has admitted Canterbury are playing for pride and experience in his last five games in charge.It was Test off spinner Wiseman (2-53), unwanted in the One-Day Internationals, who looked like he might have a headline day, but the flat, slightly slow pitch was not much help during his flighted, wind assisted 27 overs.Aaron Redmond’s thump over Wiseman’s head typified the inexperience of the Canterbury team, nine of whom are aged between 21 and 24. He tried again next ball and was caught and bowled.Warren McSkimming (3-38) had the day’s best bowling figures, and indeed he is Otago’s joint top wicket taker this season, with 14 in the Trophy. Craig Pryor (1-19) also made his total 14, ending Gareth Hopkins and McKenzie’s 72 run sixth wicket stand with a quicker, grunty yorker. Hopkins went for 39, and now averages 65 for the season in the Trophy.Earlier Jarrod Englefield had impressed with 46, including a straight six off Wiseman, before being bowled by McSkimming.Redmond also looked classy, but bottom of the table Canterbury seem likely to miss out on first innings points once more in their winless season.In some ways Canterbury’s worries match New Zealand’s, who play Sri Lanka at the ‘cake tin’ – Wellington’s WestpacTrust Stadium – in the second ODI tomorrow.Injuries, lack of form and crowd disinterest are not being outweighed by some talented players, coaches and administrators.Aberhart was second XI coach at Canterbury before taking over from now national coach David Trist. Garry MacDonald followed the same path and Aberhart commented “whether they’ll still go that way with Mike Sharpe I don’t know. It’s a fairly well sort after position.”However, the fact that Canterbury won the Provincial ‘A’ team competition this year and that their coach, former Canterbury paceman and current selector Sharpe has recently qualified as a first-class coach, and has told CricInfo he has a big ambition to coach at a higher level, seems to point in that direction again.The wise and experienced Aberhart concluded, “the top team (Wellington) only has 18 points, and there are 30 still available. Anything can happen yet.”In cricket, as well as in all aspects of life, his aphorism is too true.

Heavy overnight rain delayed the start of play at the Riverside, Chester-le-Street in Durham’s Division Two game against Gloucestershire in the CricInfo Championship.Durham lead Gloucestershire by 276 runs with 4 second innings wickets remaining.